Today we are going to northeast of Argentina, to the largest country in both South America and Latin American region,
Brazil. Brazil is one of the countries that my husband frequently visits. It remained a Portuguese colony until 1808 and is now the largest Portuguese speaking country in the world.
My knowledge of Brazil is limited to the
Amazon rainforest (about 60% of the rainforest in within Brazil and 13% in Peru),
Rio de Janeiro (from watching lot of movies) and of course
football.
Brazilian cuisine varies greatly by region, reflecting the varying mix of indigenous and immigrant populations. It has European and African influences. Root vegetables like cassava, yams, and fruit like acai, papaya, guava, passion fruit and pineapple are among the local ingredients used in cooking. The national beverage is Coffee. Brazil has been the world's largest
producer of coffee for the past 150 years.
Todays' dish is an African cuisine inspired Brazilian dish called
Acarajé. It is a deep fried fritter made from peeled black-eyed peas. It is found in Nigerian and Brazilian cuisines. It is traditionally made in the northeastern Brazil, especially in the cities of Salvador and Olinda, often sold as street food.
First stop is in Brazil and here's a Brazilian version of French toast. It is served around Christmas time. Recipe is from 'Vegan Brunch' cookbook and is made with bananas and cornstarch and no eggs.
